There are some students who have a problem with focus because they just don’t like their courses.  They think the courses are too hard, or they think they are in the wrong major.  As a result, students don’t make an effort in their classes.

If you are in this category, think about the following suggestions:

■     Be honest about your situation.  Often students will use one of the excuses above for bad grades when the reality is they are just not committed to the work that college requires.

■     Don’t dig yourself a hole you can’t get out of.  If you perform poorly in classes in one of your early college semesters, you could easily lose your financial aid or scholarships.  Even if you don’t like the courses, you still need to perform well in them.

■     Use the challenge you face as a way to test yourself.  There will never be a time when you are 100% happy with everything you are doing.  But you need to do as well in these cases, as you do when you are excited about what you are doing.

■     Look on your current situation as to determine what you want to do.  Think about what you don’t like about your courses.  That should lead you to discover what you might like better.

■     Find people to study with who you enjoy.  You might not like the subject, but the subject will become more acceptable by your working with others.

What you want to avoid in these cases is making excuses for your lack of focus.  If you are not committed to the work that college requires, you will never be motivated to do well. .